Plasma display panels, or gas discharge panels, are well known in the art and, in general, comprise a structure including a pair of substrates respectively supporting thereon column (X) and row (Y) electrodes each coated with a dielectric layer such as a glass material having a low melting point and disposed in parallel spaced relation to define a gap therebetween in which an ionizable gas is sealed. Moreover, the substrates are arranged such that the electrodes are disposed in orthogonal relation to one another thereby defining points of intersections or cross points in turn defining discharge points or cells of the structure at which selective discharges may be established to provide a desired storage or display function. It is also known to operate such panels with AC voltages and particularly to provide a write voltage which exceeds the firing voltage at a given discharge point, as defined by a selected column and row electrode, thereby to produce a discharge spot at a selected cell. The discharge spot at the selected cell can be continuously sustained by applying an alternating sustain voltage. This technique relies upon the wall charges which are generated on the dielectric layers of the substrates which, in conjunction with the sustain voltage, operate to maintain discharges.
Details of the structure and operation of such gas discharge panels or plasma displays are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,559,190 issued Jan. 26, 1971 to Donald L. Bitzer and U.S. Pat. No. 3,499,167 issued Mar. 3, 1970 to Theodore C. Baker et al.
Conventional gas discharge panels such are disclosed in the referenced patents require that a sustain voltage and a write voltage be applied to each discharge point through the same electrodes which define that discharge point. Suitable circuits for applying the appropriate voltages to those electrodes and accurately controlling the timing of the application of the write and sustain voltages are also required, imposing complicated circuit requirements and high cost for the driving and control circuitry of such devices. The degree of complication of the drive and control circuits increases with regard to the requirement of a decoding matrix circuit for selecting the electrodes to which the voltages are applied, particularly in the case of large display panels having increased numbers of electrodes.
The present inventors have heretofore proposed gas discharge panels and driving methods therefor which are directed to overcoming these disadvantages of prior art structures. For example, copending U.S. application Ser. No. 314,738, assigned to the common assignee of the present, discloses such an invention of the present inventors.